Combination ampoule syringe



Feb. 6, 1951 A. E. SMITH 2,540,461

COMBINATION AMPOULE SYRINGE Filed March l, 1948 d ffl/ INVENT OR.

Aena/KE .SDW 7W BY Patented Feb. 6, 1951 UNITED STAT Es PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION AMPOULE SYRINGE Arthur E. Smith, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 1, 1948, Serial No. 12,257

(Cl. 12S-218) 1 Claim.

needle from the ampule barrel for sterilizing or other purposes and may thereafter place an ampule in the barrel and replace the needle tol provide a fresh solution, or, if desired, the needle may be first placed upon the syringe, after which the operator may place an ampule in the syringe and may thus cause a fresh solution to be prepared.

A further object of the invention is to provide a syringe including a novel hypodermic needle mount.

A further object of the invention is to provide a syringe barrel which includes novel means for mounting a hypodermic needle.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hypodermic syringe barrel.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection .with the accompanying drawings, wherein: l

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a needle and a needle mount embodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the ampule;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the syringe barrel;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, central, sectional view showing the syringe barrel with the ampule therein and with' the needle mount partially seated;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5 5, Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the needle mount securely seated and the plunger coupled to the piston stopper;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, central, sectional View with parts in elevation showing a modified type of front stopper, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the manner in which an ampule is inserted after the needle has been positioned.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, I have shown my invention as embodied in a combination ampule syringe I0. As shown, the syringe includes a barrel II, a needle mount and needle I2 and an ampule I3. The barrel II includes a tubular body I4 which has an elongated viewing slot I5 at one side and at the other side has a large slot I6 through which the ampule I3 may be inserted. The barrel includes a front end I1 which has a, cylindrical axial bore I8 which is threaded as at I9 at its 2 outer end. The needle mount includes a cylindrical body 2li which slides within the bore I 8. A threaded portion 2I on the needle mount engages the threaded portion IS to position the needle in proper place. The needle mount includes a tapered body 22 having a knurled finger engaging portion 23 thereon. A needle 24, having a sharpened forward tip 25 and a sharpened rear end 26, extends axially through the needle mount and is secured therein as by brazing. Adjacent to the rear end the barrel is provided with a, linger-engaging ange 26 while the rear portion 2l of the barrel is slightly enlarged and at its extreme inner end is internally threaded asat 2g.

The threads 23 engage external threads 29 on a collar 3B which has a cylindrical end flange 3l engaging the end of the barrel. The collar' is internally threaded as at 32 and in advance of the threads includes a cylindrical portion 33. The portion 33 serves as a guide for a cylindrical holding member lill. The forward end of the holding member fi is enlarged as at 4I and is beveled as at 42 on its end face to engage and center the ampule i3, as will be presently described. Near its outer end the holding member is threaded externally as at 42 to engage the threads 32 previously described. The holding member includes a reduced end portion 45 48 may slide along the barrel from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 6.

The holding member 4@ serves as a guide for a plunger which has a threaded outer end 5I threadedly engaging a thumb member 52 by means of which the plunger be operated. At its forward end the plunger includes a ange forming shoulder 53 and in advance of the shoulder includes a reduced stem 54 which ter-- minates in a transverse blade-like head 55. The holding member has an enlarged inner bore 56 which provides a shoulder 5l which engages the flange' 53 to limit outward movement of the plunger.

The parts, including the barrel, holding mem-- ber, cap member and plunger are assembled in the position shown in Fig. 3 and are then adapted to receive the ampule I3. The ampule I3 consists of a cylindrical tube, preferably made of glass or plastic, having planar front and rear ends 59 and 60. Within the front end I arrange 3 a stopper 62 .which may be made of rubber and which includes an external flange 63 engaging the end 59 of the ampule.

The stopper 62 has an outer axial recess B4 which is separated by a diaphragm 65 from an enlarged inner recess 65 in which I arrange a medicinal tablet 51. A sealing disc 58, arranged in a recess 69, holds the tablet 61 in place so that it cannot enter the vehicle 'l0 in the ampule.

At its inner end the ampule includes a piston stopper 1| which has peripheral beads 'l2 thereon. The stopper ll includes a transverse slot 'I3 which extends inwardly, and at the inner end thereof communicates with sector shaped recesses 14. The recesses 'i4 are of a depth to receive the head 55 and the construction is such that when the plunger is moved forwardly the head 55 will enter the slot i3 and move in this slot until it is aligned with the sector shaped recesses, whereupon forward movement of the plunger will cease due to engagement with the end wall 'l5 of the piston stopper. The plunger may then be turned substantially 90 so that the member 55 will be locked to the piston stopper.

When the plimger is thus locked to the piston stopper the iiange 53 on the front end of the plunger engages and slightly presses kagainst the rear end of the piston stopper to thus tightly lock the plunger against longitudinal movement relative to the stopper.

In use the ampule may be first placed in the barrel, after which the holding member 4|] may be moved to position so that the threads e2 engage the threads S2, at which time the ampule will be centered and will be urged forwardly in the barrel. The needle mount may then be inserted in the bore i3 and may be rotated so that the threads l5 and 2| are engaged. As shown in Fig. 4, the threads IS and 2| engage just .before the tip 26 engages the diaphragm 65. Further rotation of the needle mount will cause .the needle to move inwardly, thus piercing the diaphragm 55. lIfhe needle will advance until it dislodges the disc `58, whereupon the drug will be placed in communication with the vehicle to thus prepare a fresh solution. The injection is then made and the thumb member 52 is pushed slightly forward and then withdrawn. This causes the piston stopper to iirst move into the ampule and then to recede. If blood is drawn into the ampule, it will indicate that the needle is in a blood Vessel, whereupon the needle is withdrawn anda fresh injection is made. When the needle has been correctly inserted, the full injection is made, after which the needle is withdrawn from the patient and the ampule is `removed frorn the barrel and thrown away.

In Fig. 7 I show a modification of my invention wherein parts similar to those previously described are designated by single primed reference numerals. In this modication vthe stopper 85 has a flange 8| and has outer and inner axial recesses 82 and 83. A diaphragm 84 closes communication between the recesses. A stocksolution 85 is arranged in the ampule.

When the needle mount l2 is rotated, the inner end 26 of the needle will pierce the diaphragm 84 to thus place the needle in communication with the interior of the ampule.

In Fig. 8 I show an alternate manner of using my combination syringe. As shown in this view and as is frequently desirable in practice, the needle mount |2 is fully seated with the needle tip entering the barrel. The ampule I3 is then inserted, with the needle tip entering the outer recess in the ampule stopper. As the ampule is pushed into place the needle pierces the diaphragm, thus preparing the syringe for use.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have invented a novel syringe construction by means of which the operator may mount a needle on a syringe and may then insert an ampule to cause a solution to be made available, or the operator may iirst place an ampule in the syringe and may thereafter cause a needle to move into the ampule to prepare the syringe for use. It will also be apparent that I have invented a syringe which is simple in construction and assembly and which is eicient for its intended use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In a syringe, a tubular body portion having a front portion which includes a threaded outer end, a closure stopper directly engaging the front portion, said closure stopper being made of pierceable rubber, a needle mount including an outwardly knul-led cylindrical portion, said needle .mount including a portion having threads engaging the threaded portion of said front portion, a needle iixedly carried by said mount and movable axially with the mount when the latter is `advanced along the front portion, the inner end of .said needle projecting beyond the inner end of the threaded portion of the mount and including a sharpened tip adapted to pierce said closure stopper, said Vpoint being disposed within said stopper when said threads on the front portion and on the needle mount iirst engage, said mount being rotatable whereby the threaded engagement between the needle mount and the front portion causes the needle mount to advance the -needle through .said closure stopper, a piston stopper remote from said closure stopper, said piston stopper being -made of resilient rubper and having a Iplurality of spaced peripheral beads thereon which slidably engage the inner waliof the body portion of the syringe, a plunger for said piston stopper, the rear portion of the piston stopper having a rearwardly opening hole, said plunger and the wall of the piston stopper about the hole having interengaging parts to form a detachable connection between the piston stopper and the plunger, thereby permitting the plunger to advance and retract the piston stopper, said syringe having an outwardly directed nger vengaging flange thereon and said plunger having -an enlarged, thumb engaging, rear Vend.

ARTHUR E. S/HTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,143,855 Panc June 22, 1915 2,121,203 Brand Aug. 16, 19,38 .2,134,144 Pincock Oct. 25, 1933 2,268,994 Smith Jan. .6, i942 2,380,556 .Smith July 31, 1945 

